How do you meet tween’s friends parents?

[Anonymous]

We just moved here and my 12 yr old has gotten very friendly with a girl from her camp. This girl lives within walking distance of our house and has invited my daughter for dinner. How and when do I meet the parents? Do I just walk over or call or what?

[Anonymous]

You don't. She's 12.

[Anonymous]

You tell the daughter you want to meet the other child's parents and you get the number and arrange it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You don't. She's 12.

You’d let your 12 yr old go into a stranger’s house?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You tell the daughter you want to meet the other child's parents and you get the number and arrange it.

+1. Or just walk over during the day and introduce yourself when the kids are in camp.

[Anonymous]

You walk with her to dinner and introduce yourself to the parents and exchange cells. Then you leave, and either she walks home by herself (hopefully texting you) or you walk over to pick her up, as a casual evening walk activity.

This is what parents do in my circle. I'm always proactive about texting with the others parents that we've finished dinner, etc. Our kids do not currently have friends that are within walking distance of each other's houses, so I coordinate with the parents who drives to pick up the guest - sometimes I drive them home, sometimes the parents pick up their child.

[Anonymous]

Invite them for dinner.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don't. She's 12.

You’d let your 12 yr old go into a stranger’s house?

Yes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don't. She's 12.

You’d let your 12 yr old go into a stranger’s house?

I do. My daughter has a group of five close friends and I have only ever met two of their parents. THey are constantly going back and forth between all of the houses. I too think it is a bit odd that I don't know the parents. But then I wonder why I actually need to?

I have phone numbers for all of their kids...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don't. She's 12.

You’d let your 12 yr old go into a stranger’s house?

Not a stranger when you know the name and address.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You don't. She's 12.

You’d let your 12 yr old go into a stranger’s house?

Yes

NP here and I NEVER would! Never. Guns, weird uncles living in the basement, drunk parents, bigoted parents, etc. One meeting answers a lot of questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Invite them for dinner.

For your 12 year old? I would say I need to have a conversation with the parent if they were planning something that involved an all day car trip or sleepover. But no, I generally don’t know the parents of my middle school kid. My parents certainly were not meeting every parent before I was allowed in a house at that age. Maybe I’d meet this parent to say welcome to the neighborhood but not to inspect their house. And yes, my kid could go inside.

[Anonymous]

The kid is 12, not 4.

[Anonymous]

I'd walk her to their house and introduce myself. I'd also exchange numbers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The kid is 12, not 4.

And a 12 year old can’t always distinguish truly troubling behavior from an adult or older relative and just innocent parental weirdness. It’s why so many tweens get molested. Or drunk or high at a friend’s house. It takes ten minutes to talk to the other kid’s parents.